(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to insulation systems, and, more particularly, to a scrubber for finishing the face of material having discrete elements.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Insulation is used in residential and commercial dwellings both to conserve energy and to reduce noise. The two most common types of insulation are blown and batt. Blown insulation may be made from several lightweight natural or man-made materials. With the use of adhesives to bond the material, blown loose fill insulation may now be used on many different surfaces, including cavities formed between wall studs. When the blown insulation is installed in such a cavity, the surface of the insulation often needs to be finished in order to eliminate the protruding insulation before the drywall is installed. The wall studs may also need to be cleaned for this same purpose.
One current method used for completing this task includes scrubbing off the excess insulation from the surface with the use of a scrubber or planer, causing the excess material to fall to the floor to be swept or vacuumed up at a later time. This process has several disadvantages. First, the process is inefficient in that it demands two steps: removing the excess material and cleaning up the material at a later time. Another inconvenience of the current process is that the use of reclaim material can cause variations in finished wall moisture content and handling characteristics. Furthermore, the material may also have accumulated undesirable particulates and such from lying on the floor.
Thus, there remains a need for a new and improved process of finishing and removing the surface of blown insulation that can be done in a single step and can reclaim material that may be ready for reinstallation.